


Bound by love

by Sweet_Brownies



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Crossover, Dick Grayson-centric, Dick and Jason are Bruce and selina's biological sons, Gen, Hogwarts, Hogwarts First Year, Jason is an introvert, Jason-centric, Past Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, for resons, he gets paid a shit ton of money and its still not worth watching over those two kids, mainly, slade wilson is their body guard, that well see later, they live with the al ghuls now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24255643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweet_Brownies/pseuds/Sweet_Brownies
Summary: Jason's always looked forward to his first year at Hogwarts, hoping for something he could never get at home. What he gets is so much more than he bargained for.
Relationships: Talia al Ghul/Bruce Wayne, kind of - Relationship, they have some stuff to work through :(
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This doesn’t change Harry Potter canon so much, but it will follow their story since it does have to do with Jason and dick’s plot, so there will be inevitable changes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot of background, but they’ll get to Hogwarts soon enough!!! :)

Jason used to ask about the night their mother died, when he was younger. Jason himself had no recollection of the night, but when he asked, Dick would always skip everything and tell him about the morning after, when he woke up surrounded by healing wizards and magic. 

“I knew there was magic,” He’d say, “but Dad never used it, not unless he had to. So it was cool, ya know?”

Ever since that night, they lived with Father’s wife before Mother, Talia. She was the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul and the princess to one of the most powerful wizarding territories, Nanda Parbat, being equal to only America and the United Kingdom. The kingdom was located in the dry, hot deserts of the Middle East and upper Africa, the castle Jason had come to hate calling home in the heart of the busiest city, Markaz.

For the most part, Jason spent his days alone, thus it was no surprise when he found the castle empty save for servants and celebrated his Hogwarts invitation by himself. His Father spent most of his days working for Talia’s father, and Talia spent her days grooming Damian-- Jason’s half-brother who he had never met-- into the perfect heir for Ras’ kingdom.

Later that night, Jason found himself at the door to the throne room with the hopes of sharing the news, the familiar voices of his Father, Talia, and Ra's inside. Slightly surprised to find them actually home, he pushed open the door a crack and looked through, watching the argument. It was no different than the other arguments they’ve had, a refusal on his Father’s part to do something that needed to be done.

Abruptly, but unsurprisingly, Ra's turned to him and cut through the argument with a gentle, “Jason, please do come in.” Despite the rough sound of aribic, Ra's’ voice was like water over stone.

He shuffled in awkwardly, uncomfortable with all three gazes falling on him. He clutched the letter to his chest tighter, hating the tightness in his throat from his embarrassment. Ra's sat on his throne, a goblet in hand and his Father and Talia both on the base of the steps, all dressed finely in the same shades as the accents in the room, greens and golds.

“What do you need, Jason?” Father asked, impatience in his voice. There were bags under his eyes, there always were, but there was anger in the blues of his irises and his body was tense with pent up energy from the fight Jason interrupted. 

Their eyes continued to bore into him, expectant, and Jason was only reminded that he didn’t share the Wayne Family eye color, he had green-- like his mother. People who never met his mother and didn’t know of his lack of blood relation with the Al Ghuls assumed he shared the green with Talia and Ra's.

He was suddenly unsure of why he came, bitter resentment clawing up his throat as he realized what he expected out of telling them was stupid and childish. “Never mind,” He said, barely able to keep the anger from his voice, “’S nothing important. I’ll leave.”

Father turned around immediately to face Ra's again, more than ready to continue their conversation. Ra's eyes stayed on Jason.

“From Hogwarts, I presume?” He nodded towards the letter clutched in Jason’s hand. “You could always stay home, my child. We could teach you much more here.”

“That’s not an option,” Father interrupted.

Ra's’s eyebrows dipped into a slight frown. “I chose you to be my Daughter’s wife because of your potential, did I not? You are one of my best, despite your rebellious nature. He shares your blood, and could easily be the same.”

“He doesn't have a connection to the Al Ghuls, and therefore he has no obligation to this land or the throne.”

Ra's broke his gaze to glance at Father in consideration. “And that only serves as a reminder of your betrayal to my Daughter and I. You may be an american, but you swore your loyalty. A vow you broke.”

Jason found himself looking at the floor, jaw clenched tight. He knew his father was still  _ technically  _ married to Talia, but for how much they’d grown apart, it could hardly be called a marriage anymore. Plus, it had been  _ arranged _ . That hardly counted in the first place.

“I allow you to live,” Ra's mused. “I show my mercy by allowing you to come back to my daughter and further so by protecting your blasphemous children.” Jason is certain Ra's is looking at him, but he refuses to meet his eyes to see. “I act as if they are my blood, to protect your mistake. And now you refuse my proposal to make this child a great warrior?”

Father bowed, Jason could just barely see it from the corner of his eye. He only glared harder at the floor, hoping to disappear. It was a mistake, thought Jason, to think that he would get any approval for his letter in a family that walks on eggshells.

“I am grateful, Ra’s” Father said, but it sounded as if he had to pull his words from a grater. “I simply think it best for him to be with other children his age. He’ll be home for the summers, of course, and he will return after his schooling.”

It was silent for a while. Jason wished he could leave, but his Father remained bowed and Jason knew how important their behavior was in that moment, so his eyes remained downcast and he forced his shoulders to relax.

“Jason,” Ra's purred. Jason wasn’t sure when Ra's stood and came so close to him, but the man lifted Jason’s chin to meet his eyes. “Do you wish to remain here, or join your brother in Scotland?”

Ra's was kind to Jason and Dick, considering how they were born. Walking on eggshells, yes, but at least they were allowed to walk. He met the green eyes that matched his own, and said, “I want to go to Hogwarts.”

“Very well,” Ra's strode back to his throne and sat on it, “You will do nothing but the best while there, my child, for you and your brother represent the house of Al Ghul. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And if I see anything other than that, you will come home immediately and train here.”

“Of course.”

Relief flooded Jason, and he found himself unclutching his fingers. There was no doubt the letter was wrinkled beyond repair, but he would be using it to find his stuff soon. Better wrinkled and useful than in the garbage.

The next day he found himself kneeling on his rugged floor, packing his things into a chest. His room was big and elegant, just like everything else in the castle, and it had all of Jason’s favorite things displayed on the walls. He didn’t touch those, there was no point in bringing weapons to school, even if some of them held good memories. Instead he packed his american clothes, mainly worn jeans and T-shirts or pressed button-downs and slacks, and his favorite books with worn spines and ripped pages from love and use.

Dick came barging in, startling Jason, sweaty, panting, and with a smile that stretched further than Jason could ever manage. The door banged loudly into the wall, only further adding to the groove Dick had put there from countless other entrances. 

“I heard you’re joining me in Hogwarts!” Dick’s english was perfect, only tainted slightly by an english accent from his years at Hogwarts. Jason’s accent was from living with the Al Ghuls and their soldiers, and he hated that his primary language was Aribic, not the tongue of his brother and Father.

Dick was going to be in his Third Year in school, part of the Slytherin house just like all the other Waynes who have attended the school, and was a spitting image of Father with blue eyes and black hair. He threw himself onto Jason’s ridiculously large bed, and Jason wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Get off, you’re gross and sweaty.”

“Are we gonna go shopping for our school stuff together?” Dick asked, ignoring his brother. “Are you gonna get a pet? Please, pleeeeaaaaaase get a pet!”

“What’s it to you?” He snarled, slamming the book he held into his luggage. “Get off!” He shoved at Dick unsuccessfully.

“Hey-- have pity,” Dick chirped. “I’ve been training all day. I almost beat Mr. Wilson today.”

Jason snorted, “I doubt that.” 

Slade Wilson was their body guard-- one of the few other americans in the kingdom. Unlike the rest of the mindless soldiers who taught Jason and Dick to fight, Wilson was a hired killer-- or in their case, a hired protector. More importantly, he was a non-magical human with nothing other than physical training and sheer will to prove his worth. He was one of the best among the fighters, and proved Ra's’ teachings about how magic can easily be defeated with a bit of hard work and planning. 

“I did,” Dick insisted, smile still in place even as hesitance passed his features. “Kind of. Anyway, that’s not the point. Hogwarts? How was it telling Dad? And Ra’s Al Ghul?”

Jason shoved the book into his chest aggressively, but then wavered. It was still half way empty. Dick’s was overflowing when he packed, he often needed a charm to make more room. What was Jason missing?

“Mother came up,” he said, adding another book.

That got Dick to sit up, his smile falling slightly and his eyes pinching. “What?”

“Mother came up,” Jason repeated. He placed an extra pair of shoes on top of his shirts. “When Ra's said I could stay and train here, Father said I wasn’t allowed to, because I didn’t have any ties to royal blood. Then Ra's mentioned Mother.”

Dick was tense, his smile turning more into a grimace. “Oh, that sounds fun.”

Jason huffed. “I don’t know why he keeps us around. It would have been easier to kill us off.”

Dick shrugged, falling back onto the bed and messing up the sheets Jason made that morning. “Maybe he loves us. He always said Dad was like his son.”

“He’s making us into his little soldiers to fight his wars.”

Dick made a noise, but he slid off the bed and stood, shaking off the heavy conversation. “Whatever, it doesn’t matter. You know, you could let the servants pack, they’re not going to hurt you.”

Jason slammed the chest shut, it was close enough to full anyway. “They’re the ones who killed mother.”

Dick sighed. “No, they aren’t.” He pulled off his black long-sleeve shirt-- standard uniform for soldiers-- to reveal his white tank top underneath. It was gray from the cooling sweat and Dick looked relieved to have taken off the extra layer. “They’re the ones protecting us.”

“Protecting us from  _ what?  _ Who else would have?” Jason shouted, glaring at the chest as if it could give him answers. “Father left Talia, one of Ra’s loyal little robots lashed back in revenge! It makes sense.”

“Nobody knows Dad did that, Jason,” Dick gave his brother an exasperated look. It was technically true, the cover up stories worked well since Father had disappeared without explanation. Most had assumed he was dead, or on a confidential mission. 

“Something could have been leaked.” 

Dick rolled his eyes. “If you say so. I’m gonna head back to Mr. Wilson.”

Jason rested his head on the chest, letting the cool, black wood relive his anger. “’Kay.” He heard his door shut with a loud slam-- Dick knew how to be quiet, but he always loved to make a scene-- and felt himself sag.

He would leave this place soon. Maybe find friends, learn something other than how to fight a war. Yet Jason only found himself feeling sick to the stomach, because after every year, after Hogwarts was done and over, he would come back home. Back to the people who killed his mother.

_ To keep you safe, Jason _ . That’s what his Father always said. But he’s never said from what.

###  **~**

The flight to London only took a few hours, and Dick and Jason had changed before going into Diagon Alley. Not that their attempts to blend in with robes and hats did anything with Slade Wilson looming over them in a black T-shirt and cargo pants. Dick had half the mind to chastise Slade for that, but when the brick wall opened in front of him and led to the scene beyond he fell silent.

Dick felt himself bouncing with excitement, Slade’s patience wearing thinner and thinner every second. Yet Dick couldn’t find himself caring. The London alley bloomed with people, shops, colors and magic that Dick missed over the summer. He knew the brown land of Nanda Parbat was where he lived, but the gray stone and cool temperatures of Europe felt like home. 

He tried to pull Slade with him everywhere, tugging his hand incessantly and letting Jason follow, bringing them to stock up on Floo Powder, candies, and anything else he could think of. Right before they reached the first store, Slade stopped dead in his tracks and caused Jason to bump into him.

“Slow down, kid,” Slade said, folding his arms over his chest. Dick looked at him expectantly, a smile on his face despite the interruption. “Gringotts.” 

Dick groaned and threw his head back in a manner that caught the attention of some people surrounding them. Jason sulked at the unwanted attention, making himself look even smaller compared to Slade. At eleven years old, Jason barely came up to the man’s chest. Not that Dick was faring any better.

“What’s Gringotts?” Jason asked, and Dick though the way Jason pretended he wasn’t uncomfortable was cute. If it weren’t for the red of his checks, he might have succeeded.

“The most booooring place in the world!” Dick whined, throwing himself back again with enough force that Slade jumped to catch him. He didn't fall, and Slade glared at him with one eye, the other covered with his usual black eyepatch. It made Dick’s smile come back.

“It’s a bank,” Slade answered. “We need to exchange our money.”

Gringotts Wizarding Bank was a huge marble establishment further up Diagon, opposite the opening to Knockturn Alley where the two cobbled streets met in a T. Dick glanced at Knockturn, knowing he wasn’t really allowed inside the dark street yet still wishing to explore. Dangerous or not, it had to be better than Gringotts.

Dick bowed at the Goblins at the entrance, ignoring Slade’s huff of exasperation, and skipped inside. He glanced at the high ceiling and long counters that filled up the entrance hall in neat rows, short, fair-skinned goblins sitting evenly spaced behind them. 

He tugged on Slade’s shirt. “Can I go get my school robes fixed while you do this?”

Slade spared him a glance as he walked up to one of the unoccupied goblins. “I guess it won’t hurt,” Slade said. “I’ll be there in a bit.”

“But you’re not supposed to leave us,” Jason glared at Slade. “You’re our bodyguard.”

Slade snorted, his foot tapping impatiently as he waited for the Goblin in front of him to find a break in his work and address them. “More like a glorified babysitter. It’s next door, he knows how to fight. He’ll be fine, Jason.”

Pride bloomed in Dick’s chest. He’d been working hard with Slade to get to the point where Slade trusted his skill enough to leave him alone while outside of the Castle. It took away from his free time, but it was worth the extra liberties. “You could come with me,” Dick suggested, turning to his brother.

“Absolutely not,” Slade interrupted before Jason could say anything. 

Jason’s brows furled tighter and his fists clenched at his sides. “Why not? You’re letting Dick go!”

“Unlike Dick,” Slade turned to return Jason’s glare, “ _ you _ don’t keep up with your training, let alone put in the extra mile to be able to defend yourself properly. Dick goes, you stay.”

Dick had to give Jason credit, his brother met Slade’s glare and didn’t back down, even when the Goblin finally turned to them and caught Slade’s attention. Slade glared a second longer before turning to the worker, and Dick took it as his que to leave before the business transaction was over.

Jumping over the marble front steps, Dick only paused his running to wave at the Goblin at the front entrance before he barged into Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. He loved Madam Malkin, she was a sweet plump lady who stood him up on a stool for measurements and listened to his chatter, even if she never remembered his name when he came back for new robes. 

As he spoke to her, there was a small chime from the door and a boy with white-blond hair walked in. 

“Hogwarts student?” Madam Malkins spoke up, unintentionally cutting Dick off. 

The boy nodded and stepped up on a stool of his own, lifting his arms into a T as measuring tapes whizzed around him. “Yes. Who are you?”

It took Dick a second to realize the boy was speaking to him, and he raised his eyebrows with an undignified “huh?” in response.

“Who  _ are _ you?” The boy repeated, a slight snear to his voice this time.

“Oh!” Dick blinked. “Richard Al Ghul, but everyone calls me Dick. I’m a Hogwarts student, too! Third year, actually, what about you?”

“Malfoy,” The boy said, straightening up and turning to face Dick better. “Draco Malfoy. You’re an Al Ghul? You wouldn’t happen to be Bruce Wayne’s son, would you?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Oh. My father says it was a shame to lose the Waynes. He says you were a powerful family before your father married the Al Ghuls. Even from America, the Wayne name had influence here. Of course, the Al Ghuls are plenty powerful.”

He stared at Dick for a second in contemplation before continuing. “I’m going to be sorted into Slytherin. You  _ are  _ in Slytherin, aren’t you? Everyone in the Wayne family’s been in Slytherin.”

“Yeah, I’m in Slytherin,” Dick said. “That means we’ll see each other in the dorms! You know, My brother’s going to be a first year, too. Maybe--”

Dick was interrupted when Madam Malkins said, “Well, that’ll be all for you, my dear.” Another jingle sounded at the door and Slade stepped in, Jason close behind. Malkins glanced at them before another stool lined up beside Draco.

Stepping down from his stool, Dick walked up to Slade and gave him his finished robe, waiting for the other duplicates to be made.

“Come on up,” Malkin waved Jason toward the stool where he shuffled up. “Another Hogwarts student? First year?”

Jason nodded.

Almost immediately Draco seemed to register who was standing next to him. “Hello,” he said. “I’m Draco Malfoy. You’re Richard’s brother, aren’t you? We were just chatting. Suppose you’ll be in Slytherin, too?”

Jason eyed Draco wearily. “S’pose so,” he mumbled. 

Turning his attention to the last new face, Draco said, “And who’s that?”

Slade made no effort to introduce himself.

“That’s Slade,” Dick said, patting Slade’s arm in a way that made the man glare. “He’s our body guard.”

Draco stepped off his stool when Madam Malkin finished, taking his own robes and settling next to Dick, staring up at the man. “Is it true that Nanda Parbat works side by side with muggles?”

Dick nodded enthusiastically.

“Is  _ he  _ a muggle?” Draco asked, looking pointedly at the gun Slade carried around his waist.

Slade raised an eyebrow as Dick nodded again.

The idea of Slade being a muggle seemed to displease Draco, since his lips lifted in slight disgust. “Oh. I find it odd. I know you actually live with muggles, but I still find it quite difficult to think you find them useful, let alone to  _ actually _ trust them to protect you. They don’t have any magic, after all.”

“Of course we trust them,” Dick said. “Some of them, anyway. Besides, Mr. Wilson’s better than any wizard I’ve met.”

Draco frowned but didn’t comment, paying for his robes and leaving with a, “I’ll be off, then. It was a pleasure. I will be seeing you, won’t I?”

“Yep!” Dick chimed in a goodbye.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Slade turned to glare at the retreating back through the window. “Pompous little brat.”

“He’s not so bad,” said Dick. 

“I don’t know who you were talking to, Dick,” Jason huffed, “because the boy next to me was nothing short of awful.”

They waited for Jason to be done and retrieved all their items, giving Malkins their coins and leaving. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comenta please? I like them quite a bit :)
> 
> Sorry it it’s a bit hard to understand! It’s a lot of information! Please tell me if anything’s not clear or if it’s confusing! And I’m more than happy to be corrected on anything :)))


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not what I planned, but It turns out Jason is a looot harder to control than I gave him credit for. But I tried, and I accomplished what I wanted in the chapter, so that's good.

“Kid,” Dick heard Slade call, not sounding particularly worried. “Don’t go too far ahead.”

The crowded platforms at Kings Cross Station proved to be more difficult to navigate than Dick had thought, but the familiar walk to platform 9 3/4 kept him from getting lost in the sea of people. Jason had stuck close to Slade, struggling to push his cart and running over more than a few feet.

“You could help, you know,” Jason grumbled, glaring at the man who currently held nothing but the cage for Dick’s owl. And he only held that because Dick’s cart was stacked with too much stuff. 

Slade glanced at the struggling boy. “We’re almost there,” he said. “It’ll do you some good to push that thing around.”

Jason grumbled, but eventually they reached the brick wall between stations ten and nine. Jason was familiar with this kind of magic— it was the same way they kept all of the entrances hidden at the castle back home, though with a lot more guards and wards— but he still felt his heart leap at the sight of Dick running straight at it. Regardless, Dick slipped through easily.

“Go on,” Slade said, pointing his chin in the direction of the wall. 

Jason walked towards it, gaining a jog toward the end as he went through the wall. Slade stepped through a second later. The train was already waiting at the station, big and shining in the morning sunlight, the steam it let off obscuring Jason's vision slightly and making the place look like it could have been set in the clouds. There were people running and yelling at each other as they said their goodbyes and tried to hastily get onboard.

“Woah.” Jason’s chest suddenly tightened, fear sinking in unexpectedly. It wasn't the same fear he felt when someone was watching him, but it was most definitely a heavy dread that filled his insides with a thick liquid, slowing his footsteps until he found himself standing in the middle of the platform, watching Sade's back. 

Noticing almost immediately, Slade turned around to face him, raising an eyebrow. 

Jason stammered uncertainly, “You... you _will_ be with us, right?”

“As if I have a choice, kid.” Slade looked around, no doubt looking for Dick who had managed to run off in the few seconds Slade had his back turned. “We’re going to the last carriage.”

As they walked to the end of the train, Jason watched all the different students. There was a rather large family of redheads, and Jason could see Dick close to their designated carriage talking to Draco Malfoy and two other boys. Dick spotted the two of them and made a quick goodbye before heading their way.

“Befriend that kid and I’ll kill you myself,” Slade said warningly as soon as Dick was within earshot. 

“Why?” Dick whined. “He’s fun to talk to!”

Slade only huffed and grabbed Jason’s luggage before making his way onto the train. Jason scrambled behind him.

“Where are you sitting?” gruffed Slade, looking down at him expectantly. 

Spotting the compartment at the end, Jason squeezed his way around his body guard to open it for the man. It was rather empty, save for a small, round boy who sat in the corner with a wide eyed expression as he stared at Jason and Slade.

“Is anyone else sitting here?” Jason asked.

The boy nodded no, looking awfully close to tears. Slade entered the compartment without looking at the boy, placing the luggage in the overhead shelving. 

“I’ll be by the back door,” Slade said. “You need to tell me before you leave the carriage, understand?”

Jason nodded, and Slade made his way off the train to help Dick bring his luggage on. Jason could hear a lot of voices, no doubt whatever friends Dick had gathered to sit in a compartment with him, before he shut the door behind him.

“Hi,” Jason said awkwardly, sitting opposite from the boy. “Name’s Jason.”

“Neville,” the boy sniffled. “You haven’t seen a toad, have you?”

Jason shook his head. “Is that your pet? A toad?”

The boy nodded. “I’ve lost him and I can’t seem to find him anywhere. He’s always getting lost, but I can usually find him right away.”

“You lost him here on the train?” 

“You don’t think he’s on the platform, do you?” Neville suddenly sat up straighter, looking more worried than before. “I _can’t_ lose him! I’ve only just got him!”

Jason wasn’t sure how to answer. Most of him was sure a toad would have probably been stepped on with the amount of people milling around the train, but he knew he couldn’t say that to a boy nearly in tears.

Before the silence got too long to bear, the compartment door slid open again to reveal a girl with bushy hair and rather large front teeth. 

“Would you mind if I joined you?” She asked, struggling with a chest of her own. “Everywhere else seems to be full.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Jason answered. “You haven’t seen a toad around, have you?”

“No, I don’t think so. Is it your toad? I’m sure we’ll find it.”

Jason got up to help her drag her chest in, both of them lifting to fit it next to Jason’s.

“It’s not mine, it’s Neville’s.” 

The girl turned to look at Neville, a pitying pout crossing her features. “Oh! You don’t need to cry, I’m sure we’ll find him.” She sat down next to Jason. “I’m Hermione Granger.” 

Hesitantly shaking the hand thrust out to him, Neville answered back, “I’m Neville Longbottom.”

“Jason,” Jason answered and shook Hermione's hand when she turned to him.

Slade walked by the entrance to the train, glancing in to check if Jason was still there before positioning himself just slightly out of view. The train began to move, and both Hermione and Neville pressed themselves to the glass of the window to wave at people in the crowd. 

“I came with my parents. This whole thing is quite odd for all of us. They’re muggles, you see, and it was quite a shock to get my letter from Hogwarts.” Hermione motioned to two brown haired adults who waves at her from the crowd. “Of course, once I knew what I was I read as much as I could about it.”

“I came with my Gran,” Neville said, pointing to an elderly lady Jason could hardly make out. “Nobody thought I’d have magic. Gran cried when my letter came, she was so happy.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! What about you?” Hermione turned expectantly towards Jason.

Jason shrugged. “I came with my family's bodyguard.”

“Bodyguard?” Hermione turned to fully face him, “You have a bodyguard? Why?”

Jason just shrugged, not really wanting to give an answer. Hermione waited quite a while for an reply, but when she didn’t get one she begrudgingly turned back to Neville.

“What house do you think you’ll be in? I’d love to be in Gryffindor, though Ravenclaw would be alright, too.”

“Donno,” Neville mumbled, throwing a glance at Jason. “I’d like Gryffindor, though everyone thinks I’ll be in Hufflepuff.”

Neville made to sit back down once the platform was no longer visible, but Hermione made her way to the entrance of the compartment. “Why don’t we go look for that toad of yours? We have time before we arrive at school.”

“You’d help me look for him?”

Hermione nodded. “Are you going to come, Jason? I think we’d find the toad a bit faster if we had more people.”

Jason had no intentions of coming, especially knowing that he’d have to tell Slade who would say yes or no depending on his mood. Yet Neville looked absolutely thrilled at the idea of someone helping him, like he hadn’t expected anyone to be so willing to look for his pet. 

With a nod, he stood next to Neville. Hermione smiled at him, and made to open the door.

“Oof!” Hermione had run straight into Slade and stared at his chest with wide eyes. “I’m sorry!”

He made no indication of acknowledging her apology and turned to look at Jason with a raised eyebrow instead. 

Jason shuffled his feet, eyes downcast. “I’m going to help Neville look for his lost toad.”

“Toad?” He scoffed, turning to look at Neville who shrunk under the gaze. “Sure, kid. Be back in time to change.”

Jason nodded vigorously and motioned for the other two to follow him quickly, before Slade could change his mind. Jason guessed that the only reason Slade had let Jason go was because it would be quite difficult to be in danger on a train filled with teenagers, so long as he managed to not get thrown off of it. Jason was glad Slade thought him capable of at least that.

“Was that—?” Hermionie whispered, though Jason was sure Slade could still hear them.

“Yeah,” Jason answered. 

“Your bodyguard is coming _with_ you? Why? Hogwarts is supposed to be the safest place in all of—”

“He just is, okay?” Jason snapped, slightly irritated. “I wasn’t allowed to come without him.”

Passing by Dick’s compartment, Jason could see Dick telling his friends an exaggerated story with plenty of candy strewn across the floor. Jason had all plans to continue, but Hermione opened the door and asked, “Has anyone seen a toad?”

The chatter immediately stopped, and Jason felt his chest tighten at all the eyes on him. 

“Jason!” Dick called out, a smile stretching on his face. “Guys, meet my little brother!” He grabbed Jason by the arm and pulled him into the compartment, introducing him to the other three seated.

Jason barely had time to remember their names before Dick was turning to Hermione, “A Toad? No, I don’t think so. Is it someone’s pet? What’s its name?”

“Mine,” Neville said quietly. “His name’s Trevor.”

“Do you want help?” 

“No!” Jason answered quickly. “We’re _fine_ , Dick. We don’t need your help.”

They continued onto the next carriage, Jason nearly pulling Hermione to ensure that she wouldn’t stop to chat with Dick. They made their way through every compartment asking for Trevor with idle conversation slowing their walk down the train.

Hermione moved to open another compartment holding two boys. One was lanky with bright orange hair, Jason recognized him as one of the boys he had seen among the redheaded family on the platform earlier, and the other had black hair and round spectacles held together at the nose by tape.

“You haven’t seen a toad, have you?” Hermione asked. 

“No,” The red head said, putting a box of candy down on the seat beside him. 

Jason turned to look at the seats which, like Dick’s, were littered with candy. Yet that hadn’t been what caught his eye. Stepping into the compartment beside Hermione, he picked up a small trading card scattered among others next to the spectacled boy, staring at the familiar face.

“Where’d you get this?” Jason asked, looking up at the two strangers. 

“It’s from the chocolate frogs,” redhead answered. “Why? Who is it?”

Jason stared down at the tanned skin and dark hair littered with streaks of white. There was thick eyeliner on the man and he was dressed elegantly in robes of green, hands glittering with jewelry where they were placed under his chin. He smiled slightly at Jason, nodding in acknowledgment. 

The small card read: _Well known for his ruler ship of Nanda Parbat, Ra’s Al Ghul has many encounters and achievements to speak of. Some of his most renowned achievements include his possession of the Lazarus Pit, his victory in the War of Gotham in 1978, and the peaceful society he’s built between muggles and wizards under his leadership. His age remains unknown, though it’s suspected to be well over five centuries._

“Oh,” Hermione said, looking over his shoulder. “I’ve read about him. Ra’s Al Ghul.”

Jason cringed at the way she pronounced the name.

“Blimey, Harry!” Redhead suddenly jumped up, grabbing the card out of Jason’s hand. “You didn’t tell me you got Ra’s Al Ghul!”

“You didn’t say you were missing him,” Harry said, taking a peek at the card.

“I didn’t think you would get him! See? He’s gold!” The back of the card was shimmering gold patterns, bright in comparison to the dull red the rest had. “You don’t mind if I keep him, do you?”

Harry nodded, and the redhead tucked it into his pocket.

“He’s quite an accomplished person,” Hermione said, “He’s done a lot of good. I mean-- He cleaned up Gotham. I don’t know much about America but I heard that city used to be just _awful_.”

“My Great Uncle Algie doesn't say that,” Neville said softly. “He says nobody’ll write anything bad about him ‘cause they’re scared, but he’s no different than You-Know-Who.”

It took a little while for Jason to understand who Neville was talking about, but Jason put together the pieces soon enough. Tom Riddle, leader of a purist cult. Jason was aware of him, had learned of him in one of his many lessons. He didn’t know much else, since it had never been overly relevant to Nanda Parbat, though he did recall the downfall of the dark wizard had been due to a child.

“But he’s done loads of good,” Hermione started. “He ended starvation in Leshon Tov and--”

“He didn’t stop starvation there,” Jason interrupted, his voice a little too sharp. He couldn’t help it, especially with the way he remembered his father’s yells as he fought Ra’s for the life of the people who lived there. “He killed off half of the people!” 

“What?” Hermione scrunched her nose in disbelief. “It didn’t say that anywhere, and _Modern Politics and Events_ talked quite a lot about it. He restored the dying ecosystem and reduced the violence.”

“He did, but—” Jason growled in frustration, fisting his hand. “You know what, it doesn’t matter. We should finish looking for Trevor.”

“I... yes, we should be off,” Hermione grabbed Neville’s hand and led them further down the corridor, but she eyed Jason with something he thought might have been curiosity. “We’ve still got plenty of the train left.”

Neville looked back at Jason quite often, his face revealing the worry he was obviously trying to keep hidden. Jason ignored it.

The train grew steadily more crowded as they went further down, and Jason found himself having to duck and swerve more frequently to avoid touching others. It was loud, the constant chatter starting the beginnings of a headache, and Jason found the air harder to breath.

A near deafening screech echoed, people moving quickly about as if avoiding something. For a second Jason tensed to fight, but then he noticed two near identical redheads-- no doubt brothers of the one they just met-- holding a giant, furry spider in their hands as they walked up to people. 

“Look at that! C’mon, it’s nothing to be afraid of, Millie, He’s not going to hurt you!” One of them shoved the spider in the face of a passing girl who shrieked and fell into her friend.

“Are you sure about that, George?” The other said, stroking a beard that wasn’t there.

“I don’t actually know, Fred. Why don’t we ask? Lee!”

They both marched down the corridor, passing Jason supposedly looking for their friend. 

“Don’t they know spiders aren’t a pet on the list?” Hermione said, exasperated. “Honestly, I don’t know why they bothered to bring it along. It’ll only get taken away!”

“I... I don’t think they care,” Neville said, watching the backs of the brothers.

In the midst of all the people milling about the corridor, Jason caught sight of a familiar blond boy making his way towards them. Jason scrunched his shoulders in an attempt to make himself invisible, but like most other times he’d done so, it didn’t work. Draco caught sight of him and his face lit up, going straight toward them.

“Hello,” Draco said as soon as he got close enough. There were two boys with him, thick necked and mean looking. Jason wasn’t surprised to see that Draco had his own form of goons, though they did make Draco look quite small in comparison. “You know, I didn’t catch your name last time we spoke. It was quite rude of me.”

Jason mumbled his name. Malfoy was already quickly draining him of what little energy he had left after all the conversations he’s had about Travor.

Draco nodded. “Did you hear? Harry Potter’s on this train. I’m going down to see him now, after all, he’s probably going to need someone to show him around. I heard he was raised by _muggles_. Can you believe that? It really must have been quite awful.” 

“What’s wrong with being raised by muggles?” Hermione looked affronted. 

“What do you mean, ‘what's wrong with being raised by muggles’?” Draco seemed to only notice Hermione and Neville now. He sneered, “Who are you, anyway?”

“They’re friends of mine,” Jason said roughly. “And there’s nothing wrong with being raised by muggles, Malfoy’s just a bigoted prat.”

“Excuse me?” Draco blinked, as if he hadn't expected Jason to argue. “You should watch your mouth, al Ghul. You come from a strong family, you must know who really holds power, and it’s not the fools who are so weak they couldn’t perform magic to save their sorry lives.”

A pang stabbed Jason’s chest at Draco’s words. He knew more than a dozen people who could kill the Malfoy family in their sleep, magic be damned, and he had every intention to say so, but an image of his mother had managed to sneak into his thoughts. Maybe if she had the magic Jason had now-- if she had been able to _do_ something--

There was pain blossoming across Jason’s knuckles, and he could hear himself yelling, “Just _shut up!_ Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about!” There was a white-hot anger that burned in him, and it took him a while to see past it to process the way Malfoy was on the floor cradling his face. 

“You’ve _punched_ me!” Draco was crying, and his lackeys seemed to be unsure of what to do. “You’re an animal!”

“What is going on?” There was an older kid pushing their way through the crowd-- and there was a crowd watching them, Jason noted. She had dark reddish-brown hair and knelt next to Draco, gently moving his hand to look at what was wrong. “What happened?”

“He just attacked me!” Malfoy’s voice was getting on Jason’s nerves, and he forced himself to take a deep breath to calm himself down.

“I didn’t do anything!” Jason said through gritted teeth. 

Slade appeared behind Jason, hand on his shoulder and lips tight as he took in the scene. His touch was comforting, grounding Jason with its heavy, steady weight. “C’mon, Jason. Let’s go back.”

The girl sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Mr. Wilson, I understand the Al Ghuls are under your charge, but he’s just harmed another student. I should take him to the front so he can speak to Professor McGonagall when we--”

“I know you’re a prefect now, Minnie,” Slade hummed. “Congratulations. Really. But I'll deal with Jason how I see fit. If you have a problem, I’m sure there’s a teacher you can complain to somewhere. Jason, let’s go.”

Jason turned to follow Slade, the crowd parting easily for them. He was tempted to look back at Hermione and Neville-- a part of him wanted to defend himself and explain, but by the time the fear of what they’d think had clawed up his throat high enough, they were far out of sight.

“Is...” Jason stared at Slade's back, unsure of what to say.The halls seemed eerily quiet compared to the packed carriages in the middle of the train. “Is there something you wanted?”

“I’ve gotten so used to the two of you I get a feeling when you’re doing something stupid.” Slade glanced back at him. “For a kid who doesn’t show up to half of his practices, you’ve got good form, but try not to outright deny what you’ve done next time. Makes you look like an idiot.”

“So I’m not in trouble?”

They’d reached the very last compartment, now empty though Hermione and Neville’s luggage was still there. Jason wondered if they’d come back to get it, or if they’d wait for him to leave first. Slade came into the compartment this time, sitting himself down and pulling out a newspaper.

“No, you’re not,” Slade said. “So long as you’re not dead, I really couldn’t care.”

“Oh.”

They sat in silence for a while more, Jason staring at the black and white photos on the newspaper Slade was reading. There was one of a familiar white building, people milling about the entrance in a way that made Jason frown. The castle back home was always so empty, and Jason thought he’d like the hum of people around him, but something about it was so different, so overwhelming he felt like he couldn't _breathe_ \--

“Jason,” Slade said, putting the newspaper in his lap and interrupting Jason’s train of thought. The man sighed in a way that had Jason bracing himself. He was going to say something he didn't want to say, and something Jason didn’t want to hear. 

“Your Grandfather sent you here to make a good impression.” Slade was most definitely saying something Jason didn’t want to hear. “If you were smart like Dick, you’d know that meant making connections; befriending snobs like Malfoy because his daddy’s got power, not punching them. Since you’re not, just lay low. Be a good student, get the grades you’re more than capable of, and do the minimum you need to do to ensure that Ra’s will send you back next year.”

Jason slid down his seat, crossing his arms over his chest and giving the air a good kick. “Yeah, I know.”

“No, you don’t,” Slade huffed. “If you keep pulling shit like this, it’ll get back to the king and he’ll pull you out and bring you back home. You and I know that’s the last thing you want, Jason. Get a grip on your anger.”

He pulled the newspaper back up so Jason couldn’t see his face anymore, ending the conversation. Jason had half the mind to yell at Slade anyway, maybe even kick him for good measure, but he knew that’d only prove the man’s words right. 

A _bang!_ sounded, startling Jason, and Dick entered through the door he had just flung open, with his eyebrows so high they nearly disappeared into his hairline. 

“Did you really punch someone?” Dick said, staring at Jason.

“No,” Jason scoffed.

Slade grunted.

“Maybe,” Jason corrected, “It doesn't matter anyway.”

“It doesn’t matter?” Dick sounded absolutely appalled. “Everyone’s talking about it! Someone said you broke his nose and Crabbe said you stabbed him! What happened?”

“I didn’t stab him!” Jason said. “I just punched him. He wasn’t even bleeding, the little princess probably cries over paper cuts.”

“Yeah, but _why?_ ” 

“He was just being a dick,” Jason grumbled. “Kay? That was all.”

“Ug!” Dick threw himself into the seat next to Slade, throwing his hands out and accidentally hitting the man’s face. Slade turned to glare at Dick, but he just moved Dick’s arm and continued to read. “You suck at this! I want _details_. What am I supposed to tell my friends if you don’t tell me the drama, Jason?”

“That it’s none of their business?” 

Dick rolled his eyes. He pursed his lips and glanced over at what Slade was reading, no doubt knowing that he wasn’t going to get much more out of Jason. “Hey!” He pointed at the white building Jason had spotted before, “We were there! It’s been robbed?”

Jason was suddenly struck with the name Gringotts, and how he had been forced to stand there with Slade while Dick had run off. They hadn't actually gone down to where the vaults were kept, but Slade had pointed out the numerous doors that supposedly lead to underground passageways filled with all sorts of dangers to protect customer’s treasures. 

Squinting at the small print that he hadn’t bothered to read before, Jason made out something about an ongoing investigation.

“Not really,” Slade said, throwing a bored look at Dick. “The vault they broke into was empty.”

“I thought you said that bank was safe.” Jason frowned. 

“It is. If someone broke into it, they had to be good at what they do and they had to have been going for something specific." Slade turned the Newspaper around so he could see the cover front more clearly. "There are easier and less dangerous ways to steal money in the wizarding world than breaking into Gringotts.”

They sat in another silence before Slade told them to get ready, and the two of them quickly changed before settling to wait for the end of the ride. A part of Jason wanted to wait until Hermionie and Neville returned, but the stronger side followed Dick and sat silently in the midst of his friends, unsure of how the other two would react.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!!!! I was wondering, should I add other characters to the HP universe outside of the batfam? I didn’t want to initially, but I didn’t realize how many Minor characters I might need. I don’t mind making small minor ocs that play the part I need them to, but if you’d like to see other dc faces, I might add them in
> 
> And of course, comments <3


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